Home of the Brave

Katherine Applegate

267 pages

Written by the same author as "The One and Only Ivan," and written in the same understated way, this is a story about Kek, a boy refugee from Africa, who has lost his immediate family and has immigrated to America.  He still holds out hope for the survival of his mother, while trying to cope with the enormous culture shock inherent in the experience of cold weather, the plentifulness of food, and learning a new language.  Grade 5.